The present invention refers to workplaces in general, and more specifically, to a collapsible workstation.
In general, a "workplace" is any spatially delimited site in a business or private residence at which a person works. The setup of workplaces particularly influences the stress and the work output of those working there. For this reason, the best possible workplace design is sought. In general, a difference is drawn between industrial and office workplaces. Such workplaces are designed differently according to their use.
An office workplace is generally identified as a desk in the broadest sense. Modern desks offer numerous design possibilities of desk surface arrangements. In particular at computer workplaces, work is carried out on surfaces at different heights to achieve an ergonomic operation of the individual devices and to allow the persons at this workplace to work in an ergonomic manner.
The work at workplaces in offices or production facilities is generally organized by assigning each person an individual workplace. This allows workers to individually complete their work assignments and best use their workplace.
The disadvantage of conventional workplaces is generally that they require a great amount of space because of the variety of required work surfaces and their fixed and inflexible spatial arrangement. It is furthermore disadvantageous that the workplaces always have to be cleaned or cleared by the people working at them, especially in offices with several workplaces. This takes up a significant amount of work time. When a worker is absent, the workplace generally must be cleared, i.e., individual jobs must be temporarily set aside. From this vantage point, the so-called "secretarials" familiar from years back seem to be quite an advantage with work surfaces on several levels; in particular, they could be closed with a roll top or something similar without having to be cleaned up at the end of the day. This had the advantage of eliminating unnecessary clean-up so that, when starting work again, workers could begin immediately at the point where they left off.
An office container has e.g. been made known in DE 41 06 141 that is particularly useful as a computer workplace. A storage surface is provided for the devices. This well-known office container also has other storage and writing surfaces.
This office container is also built like a cabinet and, as a whole, is not suited for use as a conventional desk.
The invention is based on the task of creating a workplace that can be used very flexibly in an office or production facility and as an individual workplace adapted to the user.
The invention is based on the concept that a flexible workplace can only be created when its spatial arrangement is flexible, i.e., it can be used in most any location, and it can be individualized. This yields completely new areas and optimal conditions for use.